


Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire

by Punklovergirl68



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Almost all Skeletons hate Reader, Alternate Universe - Swapfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Angst, But it's there and it pops up every now and again, Child Neglect, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, He's indifferent towards her until they become friends, Mentions of Smut, Monsters are Taller than Humans, Nicole isn't a Good Person, Occasional fluff, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possibly more Skeletons to be Added, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader's Parents aren't Good People, Reader's just tired and wanting to move on with her life, Reader-Insert, Reverse Harem, Romance, Save for Mutt, Slight themes of Racism/Monsterphobia, Slow Burn, Verbal Abuse, anti-harem, it's not the main focus, reader is female
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:34:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25662181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Punklovergirl68/pseuds/Punklovergirl68
Summary: Your home life wasn’t the best, it was as simple as that—your parents were neglectful, your parents were verbally abusive, your parents…just didn’t care. Eventually, it just got to a point where you wanted out, you wanted out, you wanted out, you wanted—It felt almost like a miracle the day Nicole gotten back in contact with you and asked if you wanted to move in with her and her…friends? Is that what they are to her, friends? It didn’t matter, you finally had a way out and, for that, you were grateful. How were you supposed to know that accepting her offer was going to be one of the worst decisions you've ever made in your life?I’ve fallen quite in love with this anti-harem genre and wanted to give it a shot myself. This story is inspired by quite a good chunk of other anti-harem stories, but the main one that really made me want to write this was “There’s Still Magic” by RosesCry.Undertale belongs to Toby FoxAll Undertale AUs belong to their rightful creators.All OCs belong to me.You belong to yourself.
Relationships: Papyrus (Undertale)/Original Female Character(s), Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Original Female Character(s), Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 48
Kudos: 292





	1. Chapter One: Setting the Scene

Your home life wasn’t the best, it wasn’t the worse, but it clearly wasn’t the best. Your parents weren’t exactly the most caring of people, sure, they provided you with the essentials—clothes, a roof over your head, and the house was always stocked with food…but, other than that, they never really bothered to look your way. Since the day you could stand on your own two feet, since the day you were able to form coherent sentences, since the day you could think for yourself, you were expected to care for yourself. You were expected to feed yourself, you were expected to bath and dress yourself, you were expected to put yourself to bed and wake yourself up, you were expected to get yourself to school and back home by yourself, and you were expected to clean up after yourself and fix your own problems. Your parents barely took notice of you, only really opening their mouths and breathing in your direction when they were irritated with you—when they were mad and had something unpleasant that they felt they needed to say to you.

They never hit you, but it was clear that they didn’t want you and, for the longest time, you felt like a stranger in your own home because of that—you felt like you didn’t really belong. You never complained and you never told anyone, you were still alive and breathing which had to count for something. Sure, it was tiring, it was hard work in the beginning, but you got used to it. The weight of it all didn’t really come crashing down until after your high school graduation…just the sight of all your classmates happily cluttered around one another, chatting away with their friends and family really did a number on you as you were left standing there all alone with your degree. You were the oddball, the weirdo that didn’t have any family there to congratulate you, to take pictures with you, to happily usher you out the doors and towards a family car were you all would then go out to eat.

Instead, you were alone, and though you weakly thanked the few teachers that came up to you and wished you good luck with your future endeavors, you didn’t stay long and had been quick to leave the crowded building before anyone could really stop and question where your family was. For the first time in years, you cried as you walked your way home—for the first time in years, sobs heavily racked through your body as you harshly kept wiping away your tears and snot with the sleeve of your robe. When you got home, it was to an empty house, which wasn’t strange or unusual as your parents did have a tendency to just up and leave whenever they wanted to without telling you…but, just the sight of the empty home and sound of utter silence was enough to send you into another sobbing fit. A few days after you graduated, your parents had approached you—they did not approach you to congratulate you for graduating nor did they approach you to ask what it is you planned on doing now that you were out of high school, instead, they approached you with a threat.

“You’re an adult now,” they began, a hostile look in their eyes as they stared you down across the kitchen table in a way that made it clear that they weren’t happy that they had to actually interact with you, “that means you have to be responsible now.” You didn’t understand what they meant by that; had you not been behaving responsibly this entire time? “From now on, we expect you to pay rent and to pick up more chores—we don’t want to be living in a pigsty just because you have trouble picking up after yourself sometimes” you didn’t understand what they were saying, you always picked up after yourself and always made sure that when you left a room it was just the way it had been before you came in. If there were any messes left behind, it was because of them, they were the ones that tended to messily kick off their shoes, they were the ones that dropped their clothes wherever or left their dirty dishes to pile up in the kitchen. Hell, the only reason the house was clean was because once in a blue moon they’d suddenly feel the urge to clean up after themselves and that mainly was because they were running low on clothes to wear or dishes to use.

“If you can’t pay rent by the end of the month, we’ll have to kick you out” those words were enough to get your heart pumping as you stared at them in shock. They couldn’t be serious…could they? You barely had any money on you to begin with and you truly had no other place you could go—you knew no other family because they never introduced you to any of them, any friends you had in high school have either moved out of town to attend college or had cut contact with you long before graduation had come around…if they kicked you out, you’d be left on the street with nowhere to go. You didn’t tell them this though, you didn’t argue with them or scream at them for being unfair because you feared that if you did, they’d just go ahead and kick you out without even giving you a fighting chance. So instead, you slowly nodded your head and made it clear that you’d play along, that you’d do as they asked you to.

By some miracle, you got a job, and then another, and then another. They were all part-time, they all didn’t pay well, but that was expected considering that you were only a high school graduate and considering the fact that the jobs you had weren’t meant to be permeant jobs. They were jobs that were only meant to be temporary, meant to serve as experience in the working world, and meant to let college students earn a little spending money during the summer while they waited for classes to start back up…college, how nice did that sound. How nice did it sound to be able to go far away and earn a higher education and possibly get a better job and start a better life for yourself, but of course, the idea of college was also nothing more than a joke. All your money went to your parents to pay rent—something that kept rising and lowering depending on their mood—what little you had left was safely tucked away in a safe box, you’d never have enough to actually afford to go to college and you weren’t too keen on putting yourself into debt by asking for a loan.

As the years went by, you eventually got your license and was able to afford an old used car off of someone from your neighborhood—a car that you were scared was going to one of these days die on you without warning. You also eventually were able to buy one of your coworker's old phone off of them after they recently got a new one and planned to just toss the old one before you stepped in, then eventually you got a used laptop that wasn’t all that great, but just like the phone, it still worked and that’s all that matters. But slowly, as time continued to march onward, you began to grow tired—the stress of work, the stress of home, and just the general stress of life was slowly beginning to take a heavy toll on you to the point that you wanted out. No longer did you want to stay stuck in this hellhole where you weren’t appreciated, no longer did you want to stay stuck here with your parents and be forced to listen to their hateful words as they pressured you to give them more and more money while also continuing to push all the messes onto you without a second thought. You started to feel like you were going to go mad if you stayed stuck in this house any longer, and that feeling only seemed to grow when you realized that the only apartment complexes close by were located in Ebott City, a six-hour drive from where you lived…it also didn’t help that all the apartments listed were way too expensive for your liking.

But that didn’t matter, you just wanted out. You wanted out, you wanted out, you wanted out, you—

It had been a surprise the day Nicole contacted you and, if you were being honest, you weren’t exactly sure why she had decided out of the blue to try and get into contact with you once again. You didn’t know why she had even bothered tracking you down just so she could message you, sure, the two of you had somewhat been childhood friends, but the friendship between the both of you had ended long before you both had graduated high school. You don’t know why she had ended it; you don’t know why she suddenly decided that she no longer wanted to be friends with you despite the fact that you were the only one in school that put up with her. Nicole had always been a handful, she was a person that didn’t know how to hold her tongue sometimes, she was a person that didn’t know how to keep her eyes and hands to herself—always going after other women's men while just barely paying any attention to the men that were already chasing after her, she was a person that just didn’t know how to really be nice. You don’t know if what the two of you had when you were younger could be considered friendship, most of the time spent between the two of you involved her dragging you around, her bossing you around, and her just overall claiming you were her best friend in the whole wide world with you just rolling with it because what else could you do? 

When you two had started talking, it was awkward at first, a clear sign that it really had been so long since the last time you two talked. But eventually, you both found yourself falling into a comfortable routine the longer you talked and, in some strange way, you began to look forward to your conversations with her—she seemed so different from how she used to act back then, she seemed more pleasant and friendlier from what you remembered. Most of the conversations between the two of you mainly consisted of her talking about her life—she apparently only lived three hours away from your hometown and was attending Ebott University for a major that she refused to tell you anything about, she currently lived in a nice big lodge with eight nice young men who she spoke about in such a vague manner that you were left wondering about who they were exactly, and overall, it seemed like her life was going wonderfully from what she was telling you. Rarely did she ever ask you about what was going on in your life, you didn’t blame her though for not being all that interested in knowing what was going on with you since you graduated—you were sure that anyone could tell that your life was pretty boring with how scarcely you updated any of your accounts on the few social platforms you were registered on. If you’re being honest, you didn’t really have a life outside of work and home.

You barely had any hobbies and the ones that you did have were plain and simple—reading, a little bit of writing here and there, and some gaming. You didn’t really have any friends, only acquaintances…sure you got along well with your coworkers and they all were always sweet enough to invite you to come along with them to hang out after work, but your time spent with them was few and far between as you did have three jobs to keep up with and parents who expected you to be home on time to get any chores they had ready for you to do done and over with. As they like to say, they prefer the reassurance that when they go to sleep they’ll be able to wake up to a clean house and they can’t have that reassurance if you’ve been out all night long, wasting your time out there with strangers instead of staying home and being a responsible adult. So, you were content in just sitting there and reading about her life, content in being happy for her, and letting her gleefully gush about all the wonderful people she’s met since she left your twos hometown and began attending Ebott University. Yes, you were content and welcoming to this new routine in your life—content in knowing that after a long day of work and chores you’d be able to flop down on your bed and spend the next few hours tiredly reading through all the messages she’s sent you and slowly respond to them one by one.

Then one day, you finally asked her the question that’s been gnawing at the back of your mind since she contacted you. You finally asked her why after all these years had she decided to suddenly start talking to you again—you asked her what reason she would have to want to get into contact with someone like you if her life was going so perfectly well. That question made her go silent for two whole days and you didn’t know if the reason for her silence was because she was offended that you would dare to ask her such a question or because she herself didn’t really know the answer as to why she wanted to suddenly talk with you of all people.

_“Well, if I’m being honest, living with a bunch of men has been getting pretty tiring lately. Sure, they’re great and all, but it’d be nice to have someone who I can have girl talk with every once in a while and who I can really go to with my problems or have an emotional heart to heart talk to when things start getting rough. What I’m trying to say is…being the only woman surrounded by nothing but men can get pretty lonely sometimes, so I’ve been thinking about having us all get a new roommate—preferably another woman—since we do have a room or two to spare, and when I was thinking about who to ask…well…you were the first person to come to mind. You were always so kind and patient with me, always listening to my problems and never getting angry with me when I’d act up, and I’m sure the guys would just love you the minute they meet you, so what I’m trying to say is…do you want to be my new roommate?”_

Her reasoning for why she had contacted you sounded…weak if you were being honest. You were certain that she had to have plenty of other friends within her life after the two of you walked away from one another, you were certain that there had to be other women she knew who could fulfill the role that she’s wanting to be filled within that house. Sure, you won’t lie; her words did warm your heart and, for some reason, it felt oddly nice to find out that for once in your life that someone thought positively of you. But still, there was a part of you that wanted to say no and tell her that though you appreciated the offer, you don’t think someone like you—a person she hasn’t seen in so many years—would be the best fit. But before you could even think to type out such a response, you stopped as a stronger part of you whispered for you to take this chance to finally leave, to take this chance to finally get out of this hellhole and start a new life for yourself.

Surely, living with her wouldn’t be that bad...it was clear that she’s changed quite a bit since the last time you saw her and the way she would sometimes describe the men that she lived with made you believe that they were good people. Surely, living with her and her roommates would be a lot better than continuing to live here with your parents. The longer you thought about it, the longer you weighed your options—weighed the pros and cons—the more appealing it sounded before finally, you made your decision and accepted her offer without a second thought. After that day, you two made plans—after that day, you both set everything up and came to the agreement that by the end of the month, you were to arrive at the address she sent you and come live with her and her roommates and all you had to do was just pay rent and look after yourself, nothing too bad. You said nothing to your parents about this plan of yours, you said nothing to them when you decided to send your resume to two businesses located in Ebott City because you believed that finding work there would pay more than keeping your three current jobs here in your hometown, you said nothing to them when you made the six-hour drive to Ebott City on one of your rare days off and went through both interviews nor did you say anything to them when you put your two weeks’ notice in at all three of your jobs after confirmation that you had gotten hired for both the jobs you had applied for in the city.

No, the day you finally said something to them was the day you were finally leaving—the day you were meant to pay your rent for that month but instead, they were greeted by the sight of you standing before them with all your bags packed and already neatly placed inside the back of your car.

“I’m leaving” was all you had told them, not really bothering to give them an explanation or anything.

“What?” your mother had been the one to break the silence that had all too quickly settled around the three of you after your announcement. There was a dumbfounded look on both her and your father’s faces as if neither one of them really understood what you were saying.

“I said, I’m leaving” you simply repeated.

“What about work?” your father asked without a second thought. “Where are you going? Where did you get the money to be able to suddenly leave like this?” the questions just kept coming as his eyes seemed to almost narrow in suspicion as if he couldn’t really believe that this day had finally come. That you were now leaving them and were no longer going to be there, no longer going to be within reach and earshot and forced to listen to their bitter words or to pay rent or to even be forced to clean up after them like they had grown accustomed to since the day you had graduated.

“I’ve already put in my two weeks’ notice and have two jobs secured in Ebott City—one at a cozy bookstore and another at a lovely flower shop” you answered. You weren’t really surprised that you had gotten the job at the bookstore as the sweet old lady that ran it had made it clear to you during the interview that she had been quite desperate for some help, she was getting up in age and couldn’t do a lot of the things she used to, so she was always thankful for whatever help came her way. It seems she wasn’t quite ready to retire just yet and wanted to keep that shop of hers up and running until the day she drew her last breath. But, you had been quite surprised that you had gotten the job at the flower shop considering how you never once had met the owner of the shop during your interview, it had been a trusted employee of his that had conducted the interview because he apparently had more important manners that needed to be handled that day. Despite that, the employee that had interviewed you had assured you afterward that you most likely had gotten the job—you didn’t believe him until you had gotten a call from the owner himself confirming what the employee had told you.

“As for where I’m going…I don’t have to tell you that” you softly mumbled, for some reason, not feeling too comfortable in actually letting them know where you planned on moving to. You didn’t want them knowing where you were going, you didn’t want them being able to track you down if they so desired because you wanted them out of your life—you wanted to be away from them, you wanted to cut them out like they were nothing more than cancerous growths that needed to go and for that to happen, you wanted to make sure that they knew nothing about where you were going so they could never come back and latch themselves onto your life ever again. Sure, you have your doubts that that would actually happen, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

“E-Ebott City?!” your parents sputtered out, clearly baffled that you would dare to think about working anywhere within that city.

“You want to work there with…with all those monsters crawling about?!” you flinched at the harsh tone of your father and almost for the first time in your life you felt a bitter remark place itself at the tip of your tongue. You’ll admit, in the five years since monsters had surfaced, you’ve never once met one as a good chunk of them preferred to stay in Ebott City and near the base of the mountain that they had come out of, and those that did leave, tended to move far away as if they were spreading their wings and wanting to see all that life had to offer them and all the new possibilities that greeted them since they left the Underground. When monsters had first appeared all those years ago, they had stirred up quite a bit of trouble—there were some people who accepted them with open arms right away, there were some people who feared them and wanted them gone and out of sight, and there were some people who were just indifferent and didn’t really seem to care all that much. Life had become chaotic for everyone during those first two years as the existences of monsters instantly became akin to that of a political debate, but eventually, once laws were made and passed, people began to settle down and life went on. Sure, you still had people like your parents, people like them who just wholeheartedly believed that there was no place in the world for monsters…but there wasn’t really much you could do.

Sure, you could scream and yell ‘til you were blue in the face, but that wouldn’t change their minds, that wouldn’t make them reconsider their words or their actions—why would it? Those filled with hate were just as stubborn as those filled with love, you can’t change what people believe no matter how much you want to. You know the only reason they’d never go out of their way to speak such hateful sentiments to the face of a monster and the only reason that they’d never get physically violent with a monster is because of the law. You knew your parents, you knew by heart that they were the type of people that laws were made for—the type of people who would do whatever they pleased if laws did not exist for they had no real moral compass and the way they treated and raised you was enough proof of that. They were the wolves that happily pretended to play nice so, in return, they wouldn’t end up torn to shreds by the dogs that were meant to protect the sheep, sure they may growl and bark, but they knew better than to bare their fangs and claws.

They knew better than to disrupt their own attempts at a peaceful life.

“It does not matter whether or whether not there are monsters crawling around the city, work is work—these jobs are both better paying compared to the ones I had previously been working” you calmly explained as you avoided all eye contact, as you crossed your arms and only slightly shuffled in place as you held yourself close. You never ever really talked back to your parents and if you were being honest, this was the longest any of you had ever held an actual conversation with one another. Normally, when you all spoke, it was usually just them giving you a list of things they needed you to do or them lashing out and spewing venomous words at you because they were in a bitter mood. “You have yet to meet any monsters in person—I have yet to meet any monsters in person—so, there’s no reason to get all worked up about this” you tried to reason, maybe you weren’t strong enough to raise your voice or bitterly snap at them in the same fashion that they bitterly snapped at you and maybe you were just wasting air in saying such things, but you felt a strong need to at least put it out there. Silently, you listened to the way they grumbled; silently did you watch how they rolled their eyes as they scoffed underneath their breaths.

They said nothing because they knew they didn’t really have much of a battleground to begin with just as much as you didn’t—as you had pointed out, neither you nor they had ever met or interacted with a monster in person and because of that, neither of you could really say who was right and who was wrong. Unlike your parents, you had been indifferent to the existence of monsters, from what little you’ve seen and heard of them online, you’ve come to the conclusion that they were no different from humans. They all had friends, they all had a family—some were kind and sweet and others were cruel and harsh, they truly weren’t that different from a human. The only real differences between them and humans were simply both appearance and the fact that unlike humans, monsters could still control magic. Yes, that certainly had been quite the surprise for many to hear that magic of all things was real—to hear and know that at one point in human history, mages most likely existed.

“I’m leaving and because of that, I’m…I’m not paying this month’s rent” you softly and hesitantly admitted after a moment's silence, feet still shuffling in place as you now felt the way you’d subconsciously grip your arms over and over as if the squeezing sensation would help you relax. You waited for them to snap at you, you waited for them to angrily throw a fit and scream that you had to pay them since you had still been living with them for the entirety of this month.

“If that’s the case, then leave” you owlishly blinked at the calmness of your mother’s voice. “If you want to go out there and live with all those _freaks_ , then leave and never come back” she continued, a sort of bitterness seeping into her voice. “We told you all those years ago that if you didn’t pay rent then we’d kick you out, well if you’re saying you aren’t paying rent then there’s no point in keeping you in the house” you don’t know why her words stung so badly, you didn’t care about her or your father just as they didn’t care about you. Her telling you to leave in such a calm fashion should make you happy, it should make you pleased that all of this is going over so smoothly and it’s not like you’re going to be living on the streets…so why did it hurt? Why did the thought of her telling you to leave and never come back hurt so much?

It's not like you actually believed that your parents would beg you to stay—in fact, you had believed that this whole encounter would have gone over a lot worse than it actually did. Maybe…maybe there was a small part of you that did want to hear them say they wanted you to stay, that they did appreciate all that you’ve done for them. I mean, you never asked them for anything, you never bothered them or yelled at them or caused them any trouble and you always did like they asked, so was it really so wrong for you to think and believe that by some miracle they’d actually show you just the tiniest bit of kindness before their only daughter left? Ignoring the slightly stinging sensation in your eyes and the lump that had suddenly formed in your throat, you nodded, grabbing the last of your bags that you knew needed to be moved into your car and silently took your leave. You didn’t bother looking back to see if they’d follow you out the front door, you didn’t bother calling back and telling them goodbye just as they didn’t bother to stand up and see you off nor give you a proper farewell.

You were amazed by how well you held yourself together the minute you got inside your car, and you were even more impressed with how it wasn’t until you reached the first gas station you saw before you pulled in and broke down in the parking lot. Your forehead pressed against the steering wheel as pitiful sobs racked through your whole body that forced you to suck in shaking gulps of air. For the second time in your life, the weight of everything had come crashing down once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Won't lie, this probably won't be the greatest thing in the world and I vaguely have an idea of where I'm going to take this, but I hope some you all will enjoy this little story of mine. Be honest with your feedback, this is my first time attempting to write an actual chapter-by-chapter Undertale fanfic instead of a one-shot like my previous two Undertale fics. Be nice to know if I'm doing good or not so far.


	2. Chapter Two: A Cold Welcoming

It didn’t take you long to gather yourself, it didn’t take you long to dry your eyes and fix yourself up to be more presentable for your new roommates as you did not wish to worry them right off the bat by showing up all disheveled. The three-hour drive to the lodge was uneventful and painfully silent as your car’s radio speakers didn’t exactly work—they were damaged and you didn’t have the money to really repair them. So, no matter how much you fiddled with the volume, you could never really make out a single word being sung or said as all that would come through is the strange mixture of faint instrumentals and white noise. Part of you wished that the speakers weren’t broken, part of you wished that you could have the comforting sound of music playing in your car to help calm your nerves because the minute you turned off the road and onto the gravel path that would lead up towards the lodge that seemed cozily situated out in the woods, you felt like your heart was now going to break its way right out of your ribcage with how harshly it was beating inside your chest. Nervously did you drum your sweaty fingers against the steering wheel as your gaze flickered back and forth to look at all the various trees and foliage that lined either side of the path—you’ll admit, you hadn’t realized just how far out in the woods Nicole and her roommates were.

You thought that the lodge would be no different from the decently spaced houses you had passed by on your way here…but then again, who were you to judge them for wanting their space?

“Everything will be fine, no need to go getting yourself worked up, [Your Name]...” you softly muttered to yourself as your fingers halted in their drumming to then curl tightly around the steering wheel as your jaw became slightly slack upon seeing the lodge. It was big and luxurious, yet strangely at the same time, it appeared almost cozy despite the fact that you knew someone like yourself could never fully afford such a place all on your own even if you worked your entire life…you wonder which of the residences came from wealth to be able to afford such a place...or maybe they all were pitching in equal amounts of money to afford living here together. Such a thought was enough to cause a knot to form in your stomach as you hesitantly chanced a peek back at the duffle bag in the back that you had your safe box shoved inside of…did really have enough to afford rent? Sure, Nicole had assured you that rent wasn’t that much, but now you were starting to have your doubts. You were quick to push such thoughts out of your head, certain that Nicole wouldn’t have lied to you about rent, you had mentioned to her before that you weren’t made of money and she had assured you that the one who owned the lodge—Sans you think she said his name was—didn’t really ask for much payment wise.

Pulling up completely to the lodge, you made sure not to park too close to the two cars that were already parked outside of the building. Though you were unable to stop yourself from staring at the two nice convertibles—one a sleek black color and the other a bright red—that where parked right outside the garage doors indicating that the inside was most likely already taken up by probably another two cars which wouldn’t surprise you seeing how there were already nine people living in the lodge. Just seeing such nice cars almost made you feel embarrassed pulling up here with your shitty trash box—a nickname your mother had so _lovingly_ given to your car the minute you had brought it home. Shaking your head, you were quick to push such negative thoughts back and away from the forefront of your mind and focused on parking your car while letting your eyes drift towards the front porch of the lodge. You had expected to see Nicole standing there, happily smiling and waving to you, seeing how she had texted you this morning and told you that she was going to be the one to both welcome and introduce you to the others—you had not expected to find a living breathing skeleton standing there and intensely watching as you carefully parked your car in a convenient place that would not bother anyone that was coming or going.

You sat in your car for maybe a good few minutes, pretending that you were checking everything over and making sure you truly had all you needed when in reality, you were slowly trying to wrap your head around what you were seeing. You were embarrassed to admit that it took you a good minute or two before you finally realized that what you were staring at was possibly a skeleton monster—that much should have been clear the minute you saw that his physical appearance looked nothing like a human skeleton indicating that he couldn’t really be the living dead. He wasn’t all that tall, only looking to be about at least one foot taller than you, and he appeared to be a bit chubby as his bones looked a little thick and his body overall looked rounder…but then again, that could have been because of the clothes he was wearing. The outfit he wore was pretty simple and almost lazily put together, a white t-shirt with a blue hooded jacket over top, black basketball shorts, and a pair of pink house slippers to boot.

“Uh…hello...” you shyly greeted the minute you found the courage to step out of your car and quickly make your way over to the skeleton, eyes constantly flickering about as you looked for Nicole. “I’m [Your Name], Nicole’s…uh…friend?” you didn’t know if you should refer to yourself in such a way or not seeing how Nicole never really did confirm to you on whether or not the both of you were friends again. You assumed that you were now friends again seeing how she had started talking to you again and had been the one to ask you if you wanted to be her new roommate.

“yeah, nicole said you’d be showing up today—the name’s sans, sans the skeleton” Sans greeted, though despite his laid back attitude, you were able to pick up a hint of tension in his shoulders and the sound of irritation hidden within the tone of his voice. Even the grin on his face seemed strained and the two white dots in the middle of his eye sockets seemed almost dimmed to the point that you barely realized they were even there in the first place. You couldn’t help but shrink back a little, you couldn’t help but avert your eyes elsewhere—you couldn’t help but just do what you always did whenever your parents would speak to you. Having lived with people like them all your life, you were no stranger when it came to picking up on all the little nonverbal signs that people showcased when they were forced to interact with those they didn’t really wish to mess with.

“Speaking of Nicole, do you know where she is? She…uh…she said she’d be the one to greet me and show me around” you explained, now wondering if you really should have asked that or not. You didn’t want him to think that you didn’t want to talk or mess with him, no, you were thankful that someone was at least there to greet you when you arrived instead of leaving you to awkwardly work your way inside all on your own…it’s just...when Nicole told you she was going to be there, you expected her to be there.

“some things came up and she said she had to leave, asked me to take her place instead” Sans explained, that irritation in his voice slowly coming out more and more the longer he watched you awkwardly shuffle in place as your gaze kept flickering about, only just rarely looking his way every now and again before you’d look back down at your feet or over at the surrounding trees. “is there a problem with that?” he asked.

“No…no, there’s no problem” you shook your head, making it clear that there really was nothing wrong with him taking her place. In fact, it was sweet that he decided to at least come out and wait for you as well as greet you when you arrived…even if it does feel like he doesn’t want to be here at all. “I’m actually really thankful to be here and I’m also thankful that you took time out of your day to greet me—this makes things just a little bit easier” you softly smiled as you finally forced yourself to make proper eye contact, only to feel your smile drop and your gaze immediately return to the ground the second you saw the slightly hostile and almost annoyed look on his face as if you had just said the worst thing in the world.

“yeah, sure you are, kid” he quietly scoffed under his breath which did confuse you quite a bit. What exactly did he mean by that? Did he think you were lying? You couldn’t help but frown at that thought, confused why someone you had just met would automatically assume that you were lying—that your show of gratitude was nothing more than an act. You didn’t really get to think it over that much before he was already clearing his throat and straightening his back out as if attempting to make himself appear even taller than he already was as if attempting to intimidate you, which was ridiculous because you yourself weren’t really intimidating nor all that dangerous to begin with.

“listen up, kid, if you’re going to be living here then we’ve got to set some ground rules” he peered down at you, seemingly watching your every move as you slowly nodded and let him know that you were listening. “they’re pretty simple and if you follow them then i’m sure things will go over smoothly during your stay here—rule one: no barging into other people’s rooms without their permission or taking anyone’s stuff without their permission, rule two: buy your own food and snacks, don’t go taking someone else’s just because they left it out, rule three: clean up after yourself, we aren’t pigs, you make the mess then you clean it up, and lastly, rule four: don’t, under no circumstances, go into the basement” the way his voice dropped at that last request of his made you flinch as for a second you felt a cold sweat wash over you when you noticed how those dim eye lights of his blinked out of existence before coming right back.

“Seems simple enough” you nodded, seeing nothing wrong with such simple house rules…well almost simple, you had to wonder what exactly was in the basement. Perhaps one of them worked from home and had important files or equipment down there that they didn’t want anyone messing with…yeah, that sounded pretty reasonable.

“good, grab your stuff and i’ll show you to your room” he barely even waited for you to speak, already turning away and quickly heading up the porch steps and towards the front door where he then came to a complete stop. Just barely did he even bother to turn around, seemingly watching from the corner of his eye while impatiently tapping his foot against the wooden porch as you quickly shuffled your way back to your car and began grabbing what you could carry—you didn’t have much seeing how you were able to fit everything comfortably into the back of your car, but there was still enough to warrant at least two trips. Well, two trips for you as you were certain that if he had just come with you to help carry some things then you both would have been able to get everything up to your new room in one go. But you kept your mouth shut and didn’t complain or point this out to him as you didn’t really want to start any fights or cause any problems between you and one of your new roommates this early into moving in. Though in the back of your mind you made plans on asking Nicole herself what was up with Sans and why he seemed to just…hate you?

Was hate the right word? It felt like the appropriate word, but at the same time, it felt too sudden for him to just hate you as neither of you really knew each other that well. Maybe he just simply didn’t like you because you were new, because you were someone he didn’t know well and his attitude was just him being a bit wary about this new presence in the house with him and the others he had probably been living with for years now. You’re certain that he’ll probably warm up to you within the next few months as the two of you adjust to now living together. Once he saw you weren’t a threat or a bother, he’d have no reason to keep up this almost hostile attitude of his.

Such a thought brought a small smile to your lips as you tried your best to look on the bright side. This was meant to be a new chapter in your life—a new start that was meant to replace the hell that was the previous chapter. You couldn’t dwell or think about the bad no more, not if you wanted things to get better, it was that simple…right?

The walk to your room had been uneventful and silent for the most part saved for the loud chatter and the sounds of pots and pans clanging together that drifted from the kitchen and into the main living room, even when you both started to ascend the stairs to the upper floors you could still faintly hear whoever it was that was messing around in the kitchen downstairs. Sans said nothing as he showed you to your room, only simply pushing the door open and stepping aside to let you in so that you could look around.

“Oh! I like…it…” you trailed off the minute you turned around and found no one there, seems he had taken the chance to leave the minute your back was turned and he was certain his job was done. You didn’t dwell on his quick retreat and instead focused on setting your bags down before exiting the room and heading back down and out the front door to retrieve the rest of your bags. The second trip back to your room had been just as silent and uneventful and once you were once again back inside your new room, you dropped the rest of your bags down on the floor and promptly turned around. You told yourself you’d unpack and put everything where you wanted it to be later, for now, you strongly wished to meet the rest of your roommates—you strongly wished to meet the others and silently prayed that they’d be a little nicer in their greeting to you. Almost on instinct, you had headed towards the kitchen where you could still hear that loud sound of chatter, but now, the sound of pots and pans clanging together was absent.

“Knock, knock” you just barely rasped your fist against the side of the open doorway that led into the kitchen/dining room, eyes for a moment admiring how nice and spacious the area was so that it would be easier for multiple people to come in and out even when someone was cooking. It didn’t take long though for your eyes to land on the two skeletons huddled by the stove and who had suddenly grown quiet the moment they heard your voice. Their shoulders were now tense and whatever relaxed atmosphere that had previously been in the room was now gone and uncomfortable and you couldn’t quite understand why—had you possibly spooked them by accident with your arrival? Were they not aware they were getting a new roommate today and were just startled by the appearance of some random human in their home that wasn’t Nicole?

“OH, HELLO…HUMAN...” the taller of the two was the first to speak, he had a good three feet over you and, the longer you stared at him, the more you realized why the lodge was so big if someone as tall as him was living here. He was dressed in such nice causal clothes—a white shirt with the words “Cool Dude” messily scrawled across it that simply only covered his ribs and exposed his spine, a red scarf was wrapped around his neck and matching red gloves covered his hands, blue jeans just barely clung to his hip bones, and a pair of white socks were pulled over his feet.

“YES…HELLO, HUMAN...” the shorter of the two greeted as well, he reminded you of Sans for a moment and perhaps that was due to the fact that they appeared to be the same height—though the skeleton in front of you was possibly a few inches shorter than Sans—and had the same physique. But there were some differences such as the fact that his face seemed much softer and instead of his eyes being two simple white dots, they were big and blue with black stars in the middle serving as the pupils. He was dressed in a simple gray shirt, he had a blue bandana wrapped around his neck and tied almost into a cute bow near the back while he also sported himself some blue gloves, he had on a decent pair of black shorts, and his feet were clad in blue socks that had the simple design of white stars stitched onto them. “ARE YOU PERHAPS THE FRIEND NICOLE WAS SPEAKING OF THESE PAST FEW WEEKS?” he asked.

“Yes, that would be me” you nodded, not having realized that you had flinched and cringed back a little the minute you heard them speak. The minute they opened their mouth you came to realize that neither of them knew what volume control was nor did it feel like they knew what indoor voices were. “I’m [Your Name], and you are?” you politely asked as you offered the two a soft smile that only seemed to make them even more uncomfortable based on the way they seemed to look just about anywhere but you.

“PAPYRUS…”

“BLUEBERRY, BUT MOSTLY EVERYONE AROUND HERE CALLS ME BLUE…”

“Papyrus and Blue” you repeated the names back to them before nodding your head once you were certain that you would be able to remember such names due to how overly simple they were. “Such nice names” your compliment did nothing to ease the tension in the room and you had wasted no time in excusing yourself when you realized that nothing you said or did would ever calm the two down and make them relax in your presence. Once again, your mind tried to find an excuse for the behavior of the two in the same vain you had tried to excuse Sans’ attitude—the conclusion you came up with was that they were most likely shy and not used to new people…how idiotic that sounded when you considered just how loud and boisterous they were. Even if they had been tense and uncomfortable with your presences, you had an inkling that they were the type of people in life who were usually outgoing and always seeking new friends if the way they had been happily chatting with one another before you interrupted was anything to go by. But still, you tried your best to keep that positive outlook that things would get better, that once they all got comfortable with you they’d be more relaxed and easygoing—you blissfully chose to ignore any red flags that were slowly starting to rise in the back of your mind in favor of this more pleasant thought process.

If you're being honest, rest of the day hadn’t really gone over all that well—after seeing the Papyrus and Blue had reacted towards you, you had lost the energy to seek out any of the others and introduce yourself to them, instead you simply chose to just retreat back to your room and get straight to unpacking. That didn’t mean that you didn’t have a few run-ins with the other residents and well…they weren’t exactly nice. Stretch, who was almost similar to Papyrus in height and physique while also sharing the same fashion sense as Sans, had been just as cold and perhaps even more openly hostile towards you than Sans had been. Then you had the misfortune of running into Red, a carbon copy of Sans if you were being honest...only, he had a gold tooth and dressed in more…edgier clothing, who had no qualms in making it clear he didn’t want you getting too buddy-buddy with anyone inside the lodge nor did he want you coming anywhere near him or his brother unless you absolutely had to. Next came Edge, who was just an edgier and scarier version of Papyrus covered in scars in the same sense that Red was an edgy carbon copy of Sans, who was just as brutal as his brother—wasn’t that fun realizing that every Papyrus lookalike was related to a specific Sans lookalike—and just as honest in his dislike for you.

You don’t even want to think back to your meeting with Black, and though he looked like Sans, you were reminded more of Blue if he were to dress in darker color tones, considering that he had straight-up threatened your life. Yes, he had no problem with aggressively shoving you against the wall the second you walked by him and he realized that you weren’t the same human that had been living with him and the others for years now. He had no problem snarling at you and threatening to gut you like a fish if you dared to cross either him or any of the other residents inside the building—to say your meeting with him had left you shaken was an understatement, you were amazed that you hadn't pissed yourself or cried after he let you go and stormed off. You didn’t really meet the very last resident of the lodge until later that night when you were heading back to your room after finishing up your nightly routine of brushing your teeth and using the restroom. You had accidentally bumped into him which caused you both to come to a halt, staring one another down as you silently waited for the insults and hostility to come…but it never did.

Instead, he simply apologized and claimed he hadn’t seen you there before lazily introducing himself as Mutt—his appearance reminded you of Stretch, only like Red, Edge, and Black, he wore darker tones of clothing, and similar to Red he had a gold tooth. His voice was a bit raspy and sounded even a little sleepy—he didn’t look tense, he didn’t sound nor look hostile, he just looked tired and ready for bed. You both only spoke for about a few minutes and the conversation between you two ended far too quickly for your liking…though, before you let him fully leave, you couldn’t help but ask him the one question that had been on your mind all day after meeting everyone. A question that had been nagging at you after you slowly realized just how eerily similar all these skeletons seemed to look—you expected the brothers to share similarities, but it felt wrong to just go and assume that they all were brothers or even family just because they were skeletons who looked alike.

“What exactly is all your guys’ relations with one another?” you curiously asked as you watched as the skeleton that had been preparing to leave you stopped in his tracks and tiredly peered back at you with a raised bone brow—you had opted since you arrived not to question how these monsters made of bone were able to be so expressive and just accepted it—before his teeth tilted upwards into a lazy grin.

“huh? oh, we’re cousins."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided that since I already had Chapter Two written out that I might as well post it—I'll admit, my knowledge on all the different AU skeletons personalities are a bit iffy since most of my knowledge on them comes from fanfics. So, if you wanna tell me in the comments how they should be portrayed personality wise then be my guest, I don't mind—but for now, I'm just going to go with what I know. I'm also going to be using the popular nicknames that the fandom apparently likes to use with these characters, so hope whoever started that trend doesn't mind. 
> 
> But anyway, hope you all enjoy the chapter.


	3. Chapter Three: Getting Into the Routine

You hadn’t been asleep for long before you were rudely awoken by the loud sounds of the front door downstairs being slammed open and shut, which was then quickly followed by the sounds of stumbling footsteps and high pitched giggling that confused you for but a moment until you realized that what you were hearing was Nicole’s arrival home. You sat in utter silence as you listened to her messily—at least from the sounds of it—work her way up the stairs, her laughter never once ceasing and only growing in volume as you had to stop and wonder where exactly she had been this entire time. The others wouldn’t tell you…well the ones that at least bothered answering you when you asked that is, instead they’d just respond with some vague answer.

" _Nicole’s a busy girl what with college and work, you can’t always expect her to be here 24/7—she’ll be back and when she gets back, so lay off.”_

That’s all they would say…well that was all they would say summed up without all the unnecessary sneers or awkward pauses, yet they never would tell you a thing about her work or how late she usually worked—it almost felt like even they didn’t know the answers to those questions. It was like playing twenty questions with a brick wall, you had just wanted to know when your friend would be back just so you could ask her more about her roommates in an attempt to get a better understanding as to why everyone—well almost everyone—had been so cold and hostile towards you since your arrival. After listening to her stumbling and laughing for a few more seconds, you slowly sat up and silently made your way towards your bedroom door so that you could peer out into the darkened hallway.

“Nicole?” you softly whispered, squinting your eyes as they slowly began to adjust to the darkness and allow you to just barely make out your friend’s figure leaning against one of the bedroom doors with her forehead pressed against it as if attempting to gather herself. Well...you didn’t really have to wait for your eyes to adjust because without warning, you watched as Nicole dug out her phone and turned on the flashlight setting without a second thought and immediately, the once darken hallway was illuminated with a bright light that made it much easier to see. You couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as you examined your friend’s appearance—she hadn’t changed much if you were being honest, same long, straight brown hair that fell down her back, same honey brown eyes, same snooty little face…yeah, she was just how you remembered her, even down to the copious amount of make-up she liked to use. But that wasn’t the reason you had raised your eyebrow at her, no your reaction to her appearance was due to the clothes she wore. All day you had heard everyone talking about today was how busy she is, how she’s always busy with work, but the clothes that she sported looked nothing like work clothes if you were being honest.

She wore a party dress, granted it was a simple one that left little to the imagination, and in one of her hands dangled a pair of stiletto heels that she most likely had removed the minute she got home as not to trip on the stairs. She looked more like she had been dressed for a night out in the town then she was for work.

“Oh, [Your Name], you finally made it” Nicole’s words were slightly slurred as she widely smiled. “Did everything go over well today with meeting the others?” she asked, an eager glint in her eyes as she seemed to almost wait with bated breath for your answer.

“Uh…” you didn’t know whether to be honest with her or not, but the longer she stared you down, the more uncomfortable you became before finally, you heaved a sigh and slowly nodded your head. “Yeah, things went just…things went just fine, they were all…lovely…” you gave a weak smile, figuring that maybe it would be best not to stir up any trouble right away with your arrival. You were certain that everyone’s cold behavior was solely because of the fact that you were new and they all just still needed time to adjust to your presence, that's all. For a moment, you saw a flash of…disappointment? Was that the right emotion that you saw flashing across Nicole’s face?

You didn’t really have time to think about it as such emotion was quickly wiped from her face the minute someone loudly cleared their throat from behind her. You flinched at the sound as you now finally took notice of the young man that stood patiently behind her, he seemed annoyed and slightly impatient, barely even casting a glance in your direction as he cleared his throat once more and jerked his head in the direction of the bedroom door both he and Nicole were stationed in front of.

“Oh, right” Nicole said as if she just finally remembered she had a guest with her. “Well, it was nice seeing you—hope you enjoy your stay” and then, without a second thought, she opened the door in front of her and both she and the stranger disappeared inside.

“Yeah…thanks…” you nodded as you disappeared back inside your own room, carefully pulling the door closed until you heard it softly click into place. Unlike Nicole, you didn’t want to be too loud and accidentally disturb one of the others sleep…made you wonder how none of them had been awoken by the brunette’s loud entrance. Perhaps they were just used to it, perhaps she was always loud and carless when coming home so they saw no need to let her entrance disturb their sleep, that, or maybe they were all just heavy sleepers to begin with. “Wonder who that was with her?” you silently muttered to yourself as you climbed your way back into bed, settling back down but not yet ready to close your eyes and go back to sleep. If you were being honest, you didn’t really care all that much in knowing who the guy was—it was pretty clear why he was here and why she had brought him around but…

You had assumed she had something going on with some of the men in the lodge. It wasn’t an entirely baseless assumption, the way she would vaguely talk about them all made it almost seem like there was something going on between her and them. But maybe you were wrong, maybe you had misunderstood her words and had simply jumped to conclusions—maybe there was nothing happening between her and the men in this lodge. Vaguely did you remember just how much of a flirt Nicole was back in the day, every time you saw her, she always had some new man trailing after her. You can’t even remember a time when she was ever really single for more than a day—the other kids back then used to gossip about it, but you never really thought about it that much.

Maybe you were just always too tired to really question or care why she was able to go through multiple men so quickly or maybe you just didn’t really care about something as insignificant as her love life when you had more pressing matters to attend to like school and your home life. So her bringing a man home with her didn’t do much but just tell you that that aspect of her life hadn’t changed. You didn’t feel any different about such a revelation—just like back then, you still felt as indifferent as you always did when it came to Nicole and her antics. Since the day she had rudely knocked over your building blocks back in kindergarten to the day she walked away from you during your twos sophomore year of high school, you had been indifferent towards her. You didn’t hate her, no, no matter what she would do or say, you just couldn’t find the energy to be mad with her. When she’d harshly pull your hair because she thought you weren’t paying attention to her, you’d just silently rub your head and ask her what she wanted, when she’d angrily tear up your drawings or smash whatever clay sculptures you made during art class because she thought they looked better than hers, you’d just pick up the pieces and toss them—it’s not like your parents actually cared to hang up or show off anything you’d make at school, so they’d just go to waste collecting dust anyways if you had kept them.

When she’d go out of her way to steal or flirt with any of the boys that showed even the slightest bit of interest in you, you’d just let her have them—you had too much going on with your life to even care about dating. Dating wasn’t going to get your homework done, dating wasn’t going to make sure your clothes were clean or that you were fed for the day, dating wasn’t going to make sure all your house chores and the menial work you occasionally did around the neighborhood to earn some spending money got done, all dating was going to do was waste your time. Nothing she did or said ever bothered you like you saw it did the other kids—they had the time and energy to be bothered by her actions, you didn’t. You don’t know how long you laid there in silence with only your thoughts to really keep you company, but at some point in the night, your eyelids began to droop and it wasn’t long before you slowly drifted off to sleep.

Morning felt like it came far too quickly for your liking as you were jolted awake by the sound of the alarm you had set on your phone going off. Groggily did you reach out from under your covers and let your fingers brush around the top of your bedside table before you finally felt the smooth surface of your phone underneath them and was able to shut your alarm off. Sleepily laying there for a moment, eyes squinted and slowly blinking as if attempting to drive away the drowsiness you still felt, you found yourself pondering for just a moment about where you were as you didn’t immediately recognize the room you were in. It took a second or two before the gears in your brain started to turn and you were reminded of the events of yesterday, reminded that you were now no longer living at home with your parents and instead was now living out here in a lodge with Nicole and a bunch of skeletons. Sluggishly pushing yourself up into a sitting position, you took a moment to mentally question yourself as to why you had set your alarm for so early in the morning.

It didn’t really take all that long for you to remember that today marked your first day of work at that cozy little bookstore you had landed a job at, maybe if you had lived directly in the city or a little closer you would have been able to sleep a bit more, but that wasn’t the case here. Due to the lodge’s location, it was a three-hour drive from here to Ebott City and because of that, you had to set your alarm at a time that you knew would allow you to get ready for the day and be able to make the drive without any fears of being late. Sitting there for another second or two, it wasn’t long before you started getting moving—throwing the covers off and standing up from the bed so that you could get to work in picking out your outfit for the day. From what you recalled, the old woman that owned the store didn’t exactly have a designated uniform for her employees, all she asked was that you dressed appropriately and when you arrived she’d have a nametag ready for you. With that in mind, it didn’t take you too long to pick out a simple shirt, some nice jeans, and a comfortable pair of running shoes that you knew wouldn’t kill your feet if you had to stand or move about all day.

Pleased with the selection in your arms, and certain that you had all that you needed for the day; you only took one step outside of your room to head towards the bathroom before halting the second you heard another door in the hall open. Standing there, you silently watched as the man from last night was harshly shoved out of the room he and Nicole had disappeared into—a room you now figured was Nicole’s. He looked disheveled, his hair a tangled mess, shirt crinkled and bunched up like he hadn’t had time to really pull it on all the way, the button of his pants was undone and the zipper was still down to the point that he had to manually hold his pants up with one hand while only one untied shoe was on his left foot. He looked as if he had been rushed in getting dressed and even then didn’t succeed in finishing on time before being tossed out. Silently you stood there and watched how the man glared at the door in irritation, huffing and puffing as he grumbled curses underneath his breath while busying himself with finally zipping and buttoning up his pants and just as he slipped on his other shoe, he finally took notice of you standing there and staring at him.

Neither of you spoke a word as you stared one another down, instead, you watched as he slowly raised his hand in a silent greeting that you were quick to return with the raise of your own hand. For a moment, you wondered if you should properly introduce yourself or not…it didn’t matter in the end though because just as you had opened your mouth to speak, you quickly shut it when the door to Nicole’s room opened once more and you witnessed as she shoved some crumpled up bills into the man’s hands.

“I already called you a cab in advance so it should be arriving soon, go to the end of the driveway and wait for them there” and with that, the door was shut once more and both you and the man were left alone once again. Once more did you silently watch as the man sent a harsh glare towards the closed door before rolling his eyes as he grumbled something unintelligible underneath his breath. Just barely did he even bother looking your way—looking at you just long enough to give a slight nod of his head as if that was his way of bidding you farewell. It didn’t seem he cared too much if you returned the action as he was already turning away from you and taking his leave, being mindful not to trip over his untied shoelaces that dragged and jostled about with every step he took. Just as silently as he had arrived with Nicole last night, he silently left without ever really making a sound.

He was mindful of the steps and even when he was out of sight, you just barely were able to pick up the sound of the front door opening and closing in such a gentle manner that heavily contrasted with how loud Nicole had been when entering. You maybe stood there for another minute or two before finally, you felt yourself moving forward and towards the bathroom located on this floor. Each door you passed was either silent or had someone snoring on the other end, saved for Nicole’s room seeing how you were able to hear her moving about inside there when walking by. Your time spent inside the bathroom after disappearing inside of it wasn’t that long—you never really spent too much time on your appearance in the morning. Sure, you made sure your face was clean, you made certain that your hair was brushed and free of any tangles or knots, and you definitely made sure that your clothes were on right all so that when you looked in the mirror you saw someone who looked decent and presentable.

You didn’t bother with make-up; you just saw no need to really go all out and doll yourself up like you’ve seen other women like your mother or Nicole do. It’s not that you hated make-up, it’s just…you saw no real point in wearing it. You had expected the kitchen to be empty after you had exited the bathroom and came downstairs, but instead, you were quite surprised to see…Mutt? Was that his name? You think so…strange name now that you thought about it.

You were surprised to see Mutt there, tiredly leaning back against the kitchen sink, his eye sockets half-lidded as an unlit cigarette loosely dangled from between his teeth. He looked to still be dressed in the clothes you had seen him in last night almost as if he had never changed out of them to begin with. He still wore that orange sweater and black jacket with the fuzzy hood, he still wore those black skinny jeans and black boots, and he even still…did he have that spiked collar on last night? You don’t remember catching sight of it last night, but if you were being honest, you had been tired and had been more distracted by the fact that he hadn’t been openly hostile or awkward towards you like the others had been yesterday. Ignoring the collar, you decided not to openly question it and just chalked it up to be an odd fashion choice of his.

You were quick to take notice in how he still looked tired—he still looked sleepy as he stood there and it took you a minute to realize that the reason he was just standing there was because he was patiently waiting for the coffee maker on the kitchen counter beside him to finish making that morning’s fresh pot of coffee.

“mornin’” he tiredly greeted the minute he caught sight of you, his eye lights boredly watching as you shuffled about and began searching for something to eat.

“Good morning” you softly greeted right back, watching him right back from the corner of your eye as you began to check different places around the kitchen. Anything that looked like it was meant for one person and not bought to be shared as a whole, you left alone—you didn’t touch the yogurt at the bottom of the fridge nor did you touch the pop tarts located in one of the upper cabinets. You didn’t bother touching the carton of eggs as you didn’t want to risk making any loud sounds that would rudely wake the others up in your attempts to find and get out a pan to cook them in…also, you didn’t feel like dirtying too many dishes this early in the morning. Eventually, you were able to locate a bag of bread and, without a second thought, you decided that a light breakfast of toast was good enough for you this morning. Already telling yourself that if you were still hungry afterward, you’d just stop somewhere while on your way to work.

There was a peaceful silence between you and Mutt as you both stood there, him waiting for his coffee and you waiting for your toast. The silence between you two was not tense, it was not hostile nor was it awkward. Instead, it was peaceful and quite nice, it was the kind of silence that you’d expect between complete strangers just going about their daily business without too much of a care for what the other was doing. By the time Mutt’s coffee was done, your toast had already popped, been buttered, and you were already seated on one of the two barstools in the kitchen. Even though you had your phone out in front of you, you weren’t really paying too much attention to whatever it was you were looking at on it and instead, found yourself watching as the skeleton pulled down two coffee mugs from one of the kitchen cabinets.

He said nothing as he filled both cups nor did he say anything as he got out the cream and sugar—for one of the cups you figured he put about an average amount of cream and sugar into it, but when it came to the other…you watched in slight amusement as he seemed to just dump almost all of the sugar and cream inside of it without a second thought. He stirred both cups evenly before finally he plopped down beside you in the other barstool and placed the cup with the average amount of cream and sugar in it right beside your plate of half-eaten toast.

“here” that’s all he said, not really giving too much of an explanation as to why he had decided to pour you a cup of coffee as well before he was already beginning to drink his own.

“Thanks” you muttered, not thinking too hard about it as you picked the cup up and took a tentative sip from it as not to burn yourself. Once more did silence fall between the two of you and once again was it peaceful as you both sat there and minded your own business—you slowly eating and taking occasional sips of your coffee while he seemed almost lost in his thoughts. He looked as if he just barely had the energy to stay awake, his skull resting in the palm of his hand as he kept taking sip after sip of his own coffee as if it would help keep him awake. The peaceful silence between the both of you was quickly shattered by the sounds of movement upstairs and it wasn’t long before the rest of the skeletons inside the home came down the steps and shuffling into the kitchen themselves, bringing with them a tense and awkward atmosphere the moment they spotted you. You were certain you could feel some of them glaring at you but opted not to really check as you kept your eyes glued to your phone’s screen, just barely watching them all shuffle about from the corner of your eye.

Cautiously did they move about as if they were attempting to avoid getting near you like they thought you’d lash out at them or something. But slowly you watched as they quickly and effortlessly fell into a routine—Papyrus, Blue, and Edge all seemed to just loudly chatter with one another as they began to get themselves bowls of cereal. Sans, Red, and Stretch all took a seat at the dining room table after getting themselves some coffee and silently began to whisper to one another…you watched how an occasional laugh or two would cause their shoulders to bounce, but their smiles were quick to drop and their eye sockets were even quicker to narrow anytime they'd merely glance in your direction. Looking away from them, you found yourself only giving a quick glance over towards the open doorway where Black stood, he made no attempts to take a seat or even grab himself some food, instead he just stood there and seemed to just stare you down. You were certain that if looks could kill, you’d already be six feet underground.

His expression towards you was just as hateful as it had been yesterday when he had pushed you up against the wall and threatened your life. You maybe stared back at him from the corner of your eye for another moment or two before returning your gaze down to your phone screen. Your ears just barely perking up to the sound of him scoffing beneath his breath before he finally moved further into the kitchen and began to pour himself some coffee. Despite how they all fell into what you assumed was their normal routine, the air in the room was still tense and awkward to the point that you felt yourself starting to become…uncomfortable. It was clear to you that they still hadn’t warmed up to the idea of you living with them just yet, which was fine seeing how it was only your second day here—you didn’t expect them to just warm up to you right off the bat, but still...

You hadn’t realized your body had stilled for a moment as you just listened to them all, you hadn’t realized that you were just blankly staring down at your phone and just listening to the sounds of Papyrus, Blue, Edge, and Black’s loud chatter as they all took a seat at the dining room table and began to eat. You soon flinched though when you suddenly felt the light pressure of Mutt jabbing his elbow into your side, and when you turned your head to look at him, you found that he wasn’t even looking at you to begin with.

“it’ll get cold” was all he said, and you didn’t even have to ask him what he meant as you looked down at your still full cup of coffee. You only nodded, still continuing to listen to the others as they went about their morning—even with the tense air you could tell they were still trying to have a normal breakfast and that was clear with how the supposedly louder residents of the lodge continued to talk and almost bicker with one another like it was any other day. You ignored the eyes that immediately locked themselves onto your back and watched as you got up and moved over to the sink once you had finished. You ignored the feeling of multiple pairs of eyes burning into your back as if almost everyone was watching you despite the fact that all you were doing was cleaning the dishes you had dirtied before you left for the day. You weren’t doing anything special or extraordinary, so you saw no reason for them to stare as if they were expecting you to suddenly do something that would warrant their attention.

The feeling of them staring at you and the tense atmosphere in the air almost immediately disappeared though the minute you all were greeted to the sounds of footsteps rushing down the stairs.

“Good morning, boys!” Nicole happily chirped the minute she came walking into the kitchen, she was dressed in clothes that were a bit too tight, but a bit more modest in length compared to the dress you had seen her in last night. Her hair was straightened like normal and her face was covered in copious amounts of make-up, you’ll admit, she looked pretty this morning all dolled up and looking ready to go. You silently listened to the chorus of greetings that came from the men, and slowly turning your head, you looked at them all and took a moment to really absorb the looks of absolute adoration and love they showcased towards Nicole who happily stood there and seemed to just bask in their attention. She looked so please hearing them all greet her, hearing them all compliment her as well as hearing them all refer to her in a variety of nicknames that were quite plain and simple if you were being honest. “Oh, and good morning to you too, [Your Name]” she said it like it was an afterthought like she had just finally remembered you were there.

“Yeah…good morning” you greeted as you finished drying the dishes you had cleaned and put them back where they belonged. Unable to really stop yourself from listening as she suddenly started to go around the room, talking to each of the men one by one—you listened to how she either made plans with them or had to cancel and push back any previous plans she already had set up. You listened to how they all spoke to her and even watched from the corner of your eye how they all interacted with one another and the longer you watched them all the more confused you started to become…so, was there actually something going on between them all or…? Perhaps they all were in an open relationship, that would have explained the man you saw with her last night and saw again leaving this morning…but that assumption didn’t feel quite right the longer you watched them all. The longer you watched them, the more you started to realize that she seemed to have almost every single one of them falling over themselves for her, all of them except…

Mutt looked irritated, it was clear on his face that he was annoyed beyond belief every time Nicole made her rounds and came anywhere near him. She kept bouncing from skeleton to skeleton to talk with them all and keep them all hanging off of every word she spoke, but it was clear that anytime she thought she caught sight of Mutt trying to slide out of his seat and leave, she’d latch herself onto his arm and force him to stay in place—force him to listen to what she had to say. You watched how every time she clung onto him, she’d ask him if he wanted to do something with her today or maybe sometime this week or even sometime this month, and every time he’d shoot her down with some excuse. Every time she threw out a day that the two of them could spend together, he’d shoot her down by saying that he already had something important planned for that day. The sight before you was almost awkward to watch, it was awkward watching how the others seemed to eagerly await for Nicole to come back and continue speaking with them just as much as it was awkward watching her failed attempts in trying to have Mutt just accept her invitations to just spend one day with her.

You decided not to stick around for long, opting to silently take your leave as you slipped out of the kitchen unnoticed. A quick pat-down of your person assured you that you had all that you needed for the day—phone, keys, and wallet—and without a second thought, you left. Maybe for a moment or two, you had found your thoughts lingering and thinking about…whatever it was you had just witnessed, but after a while you found such thoughts drifting away towards the back of your mind the second you climbed into your car and started up the engine—relief hitting you on instinct upon hearing the sound of it starting up. One of these days it’ll die on you, but it seems today wasn’t that day. Any thoughts about Nicole and the others were soon lost and slowly replaced with miscellaneous thoughts about work and the such as you slowly and carefully worked your way down the driveway and out onto the road so that you could begin your three-hour trek towards the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Nicole finally makes her full appearance. Not so sure on the title, but I feel it fits well enough. Hopefully you all like the chapter, let me know what you think.


	4. A Conversation on the Porch

Pulling up the driveway and parking your car in its usual spot, you couldn’t help but heave a tired sigh and just sit there for a moment with your eyes closed—just wanting to rest for a little bit before you had to head inside and face the others. It’s been about three weeks since you arrived here at the lodge and…nothing’s really changed since the day you arrived. Papyrus and Blue still felt awkward when you were around, they still looked tense anytime you’d actively speak with them which wasn’t often seeing how quick they both were to leave the room if they even got the slightest inklings that you wanted to speak with them. Sans and Stretch practically ignored you with the former only ever speaking with you when he had to, the last time you two spoke it was about rent seeing how you had finally remembered that he never really told you when it was due or how much of it was due—both of you seemingly having forgotten that important aspect which was understandable seeing how quick he had been to get away from you and you being kind of distracted by the fact that he and the others didn’t really like you. Red, Edge, and Black were all still very open and honest about their distaste towards you, two of them having no problem in getting a bit rough in the way they’d sometimes handle you if they felt that they needed to hold you in place so that you’d listen to what they had to say.

Mutt was…Mutt was indifferent towards you, that much was clear. He didn’t hate you, which was something you were quite thankful for, but you wouldn’t exactly say he liked you just yet. Conversation between the two of you was always nice but was also scarce due to how rare it was to actually see him around the lodge. He was like a ghost, there one minute and gone the next—at first you didn’t understand why he was so elusive, why it felt like he was always trying to hide himself away. The answer became clear to you one day when he had upped and left you in a middle of a conversation the second Nicole arrived home, one minute you and he were lightly chatting as you did the dishes, the next you were greeted by silence and an empty chair the second you turned around after hearing Nicole call out from the front door that she was home.

Speaking of Nicole…

She mainly ignored you, barely registering your existence within the house and only ever really looking your way and speaking to you when the others were around. There was always this glint in her eyes when she did that, like she was expecting to see some sort of reaction on your face as she’d sit there and soak in the attention she was getting from the others from across the room why you’d sit there all alone and just boredly flip through one of your books. There were many things you learned about Nicole within these three weeks of living with her—you learned that Nicole didn’t like cleaning up after herself if the dirty dishes you’ve seen her leave in the sink or on the counter were any indicator. You learned that Nicole loved attention if the way she just basked in the showered adoration and love of the others were any indicator. You also learned that Nicole liked to stay out late.

Once every few days she’d just disappear for the rest of the day and stay out late, you don’t know how many times she’s awoken you with her late-night arrivals just like she had on that very first night you were here. For a while, you’d peek your head out of your bedroom door and watch as she would stumble her way to her room, sometimes she was alone and other times she had someone with her. The more she did it, the more you realized that this was just how she was when coming home after a night of drinking and partying—she was loud, she was inconsiderate, she just didn’t care whose sleep she was disturbing when coming home. It eventually got to a point where you just stopped getting up altogether and checking whenever you’d hear her come home. It got to a point where you’d simply turn over and just go back to sleep—it got to a point where you understood why the others never got up or complained to her when she came home because they probably were already used to her doing this, used to her loud entrances as she’d come home and drunkenly stumble her way through the dark and up to her room.

You sucked in a deep breath of air before heaving a sigh as you opened your eyes and looked beside you at the two jugs of milk. You had noticed before you left this morning that you all were running out and had decided to make a quick stop at the store after work to pick some up—you were aware how Papyrus and Blue liked their milk and you were sure you’ve caught Black adding a bit of milk to his coffee before, he seemed to favor it over the cream you’ve seen Mutt use. Grabbing the bags that the jugs of milk were inside of, you got out of your car and began making your way towards the porch steps, slowly coming to a halt right at the bottom step as you looked up at Mutt who was currently seated on the top step and leaning against the railing of the stairs. His eye sockets were closed as a lit cigarette was nestled between his teeth, wisps of purple smoke seeping out from between his slightly parted teeth and the glowing tip of the cigarette.

“She in there?” you felt yourself automatically ask as you stood there, watching as he tiredly grumbled before slowly cracking one of his eye sockets open and tiredly peered down at you.

“you brought milk” he noted as he slowly peeled himself away from the railing and sat up straight for but a moment before slowly he hunched over. One hand was buried inside the pocket of his jacket as the other reached up and removed the cigarette between his teeth—blowing out a puff of purple smoke as he seemed to just examine you for a moment before his eye lights landed on the bags in your hands.

“I saw we were running out—thought I’d pick some up on the way home” you shrugged as you slowly ascended the porch steps before stopping as you carefully set the bags down and took a seat right next to the skeleton. “But that didn’t really answer my question, the only time I see you out here smoking is when she’s home and you couldn’t get to your room” you said, aware that whenever Nicole was home, Mutt was usually either locked up inside his room or out here on the porch smoking as many cigarettes as he could as if his life depended on it.

“yeah, she got back about an hour ago” Mutt grumbled as he placed his cigarette back between his teeth, shoulders lifting before lowering as he released a heavy sigh which in return caused more purple smoke to seep out from the gap between his teeth. “took forever just to get out here, she just doesn’t know when to lay off” he muttered.

“You really don’t like her, huh?” you hummed, and it’s not like you could really blame him, you were fairly sure not that many kids back in school had liked her either. Her inability to play nice and behave did a number on how she was perceived by the others, sure, she got along just fine with the other children that fell more into the “popular” group, but even then you weren’t sure how many of the kids in that clique had actually liked one another and didn’t just tolerate each other for the sake of keeping appearances.

“i’m not exactly fond of her if that’s what you’re asking” Mutt answered before lowly muttering something underneath his breath—he looked and sounded so tired, the bags under his eye sockets now becoming even more noticeable than usual you found. You had your suspicions that he wasn’t sleeping well at all due to the fact that his eyebags were becoming more and more prominent with each passing day. “so, how exactly do you know her?” he suddenly asked, sending a simple question your way that almost felt like it came out of a left field.

“Huh? Oh, I guess you could say we were childhood friends” you answered, barely paying attention to the way he raised a bone brow as he gave you a questioning look as if your response had confused him.

“you guess?” he asked, sounding almost amused as he now began to shift around until his back was comfortably leaned back against the railing of the stairs and he was now facing you.

“Nicole…Nicole kind of just forced her way into my life” you shrugged. “If I’m being honest, I’m not really sure what we were—I mean, she claimed we were friends that day in the classroom after she knocked over my building blocks, but…I didn’t see many kids who had the same kind of friendship she and I had…” you trailed off, you rarely ever thought too much about the friendship you and Nicole had back in the day. After she had ended things between you all, you just stopped thinking about her and everything you and her had ever done together, she had been quick to become nothing more than a figment of your imagination who you hadn’t really thought about until that day she got back into contact with you.

“is that so?” Mutt muttered, not sounding all that surprise with this sudden revelation. “if you two weren’t that great of friends, why even accept her offer to come here?”

“I wanted out” that’s all you said, you didn’t elaborate nor did you explain yourself. Your answer was as simple as that, you had wanted out of that house—you had wanted away from your parents and Nicole had offered you the perfect way out. Sure, things were looking pretty…bad right now, but you still had hope that with time, the others would calm down and come around. With time their attitude towards you would slowly change and they’d start to become just a little friendlier once they saw that you weren’t a threat, that you weren’t dangerous or going to ruin their lives. A voice in the back of your head mocked you for even bothering to be optimistic, for even bothering to hope and wish for better relations between you and your roommates when none of them were even really bothering to put forth the effort in getting to know you. Mutt didn’t say anything, but you could see from the corner of your eye how he seemed to almost stare you down as if he thought he’d find the explanation to your vague answer written on your face.

After a moment or two, you watched how he eventually shrugged his shoulders and turned his head away from you so that he could stare out towards the trees that surrounded the lodge. It was almost as if he didn’t really care too much to really find an explanation for your words, it was almost as if he understood that maybe it wasn’t his place to really dig too deep into your reasonings for why you were here or why you had accepted Nicole’s offer to come here.

“so, where do you normally disappear to all day?” he asked after a moment of silence.

“What is this? Twenty questions?” you asked with a raised eyebrow.

“just answer the question, kid.”

“Work—I go to work, don’t you?”

“nah, i’m too busy with classes” Mutt shook his head. “the teachers at the university like to assign a ton of homework—a skele- **ton** you could say” his teeth tilted upwards into a lazy grin as he listened to the snort that left you as you raised your hand in an attempt to stifle the giggle you felt bubbling itself up your throat.

“I didn’t think you’d have the **guts** to make such a terrible pun” you felt a bit pleased with yourself when you heard him chuckle in response. “I didn’t know you were attending Ebott University, what’s your major?” you curiously asked.

“mechanical engineering” he answered.

“Oh?” you couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as you looked him over for a moment in thought before curiously deciding to ask him more about his major. It was as if you had just opened the floodgates the minute you gave him permission to keep talking, his back seeming to almost straighten completely as his eye lights brightened just the tiniest bit and his voice seemed to perk right up. He spoke with a certain passion about his major—he spoke in a more energized way that heavily contrasted with how you’ve normally heard him speak. Silently did you listen, nodding your head along, too embarrassed to really admit to him that he had lost you somewhere in the middle of his speech the second he started bringing the big words out. You could tell he never got to speak that much about his interests, you could tell he probably never got to speak that much about anything really seeing how it felt like he was just now getting everything out there.

Sitting there and listening to all he had to say, you came to a conclusion. You came to the conclusion that Mutt was smart, like smarter than one would be lead to believe. It was fascinating in a way listening to him, even if you didn’t fully comprehend and understand all that he was saying, it was still nice being able to sit here and see this side of him. Usually, he was always silent and reserved, the conversations between you and him only really ever taking place when you both were in the same room and just felt the need to make small talk. But…other than that, you don’t think you’ve really ever seen him put in so much effort to talk to anyone else in the lodge except for Black.

You were aware that each short skeleton was the older brother to one of the taller skeletons and it seems that Black was Mutt’s older brother. Every little conversation you’ve walked into between the two never really sounded that great. It was clear there was tension between the two, it was clear there were problems going on based on the way Black seemed to just chastise and nearly degrade his younger brother for whatever it is he had dared to say to him. You weren’t exactly sure what was going on between them, you just knew that Mutt always looked so desperate to fix things between him and his brother whenever you’d catch the two speaking to one another. Nothing he did ever worked though you found if the way Black would always storm off afterward while Mutt would slink back to his room with his head down was anything to go off of.

You never bothered asking him what was going on between him and his brother, you didn’t feel it was your place and you weren’t sure how well he’d feel with you prying into his and his brother’s personal business. You both were still strangers to one another—you weren’t yet friends, you both were still nothing more than strangers who were indifferent to one another. Though…you feel that that status may change soon after how well this talk between the both of you has gone. Shifting around, you leaned back onto your hands before flinching when you felt the way your bare arm brushed against one of the still cold jugs of milk you had placed behind you when you sat down.

“Damn, almost forgot about these” you softly cursed, accidentally cutting Mutt off in the middle of his sentence as he perked up at your voice and peered around you to see what you were now looking at.

“heh, forgot about those myself” he chuckled before lightly nudging your leg with his foot. “you might as well get them inside before they spoil.”

“Yeah, you’re right” you sighed as you stood up and picked the bags up once more. “It was nice…” you trailed off as you were instantly greeted by the sight of empty air where the skeleton once sat—the only signs that he had been there being the remnants of purple smoke from his cigarette. Slowly did you look all around you in an attempt to find out where he had gone before simply shrugging, this isn’t the first time he’s just disappeared on you. Entering the lodge, you were instantly greeted to the sounds of the television in the living room playing some trashy reality show that you couldn’t be bothered to remember the name of. Stepping further into the room, you looked to your side to find Papyrus, Blue, and Nicole all snuggled close to one another on the couch.

Neither of the skeletons really looked all that invested in the show that was currently playing and you were certain that you saw Papyrus staring down the remote that was just in front of him as if he was just tempted to turn it—but every time he looked ready to reach for it, he seemed to silently talk himself out of it and would just lean back and settle back into his seat. Blue just looked plain bored, it was clear he wasn’t really enjoying what he was watching based on the way he’d cringe and drawback a little every time some “drama” would start up between the people on the show. The only one that looked vaguely interested in what they were watching was Nicole, and most of the time, she wasn’t really watching the Tv but instead was looking down at her phone as she comfortably snuggled herself further into the blanket that laid across her lower half as her legs rested on Blue’s lap and her whole body was leaned against Papyrus’ side. None of them even bothered to look your way and you had your doubts that they even heard you come in, not that you were complaining as their lack of awareness made it a lot easier for you to slip into the kitchen and start putting the milk away. Yes, you preferred them ignoring you over them taking notice of you and start acting all uncomfortable and awkward with your mere presence.

Opening the fridge, you took a moment to calculate what you were going need to move to make room for the two jugs of milk you had brought. It’s not that the fridge was overfilled, it’s just…

“Who needs this many condiments anyway? Barely see anyone use them...” you muttered, eyes narrowing as you looked at the copious amount of ketchup, mustard, and barbeque sauce that lined the shelves of the fridge. You were fairly sure you’ve also seen a month’s worth of honey in one of the cabinets—it was ridiculous how much of this stuff they kept hoarded in the house yet never once have you seen any of the designated cooks of the house use any of them. After shifting things around on the bottom shelf, you were able to comfortably slide the two jugs of milk into place, making absolutely sure that the expiration dates were clear so the other residents in the house knew which jug to start with first. Closing the fridge, you turned on your heel and silently began to make your way up to your room.

Barely did you pay any mind to the three that were still cuddled up on the living room couch watching Tv as you passed by them once again and started to ascend up the stairs. Your mind elsewhere at the moment, caught up in thinking about what your plans for the evening were going to be like to the point that you weren’t aware of the commotion of someone attempting to get up off the couch or the sound of loud footsteps that followed after you until you were startled out of your thoughts the moment you reached your bedroom door and two hands suddenly slammed down onto your shoulders and twisted your body around.

“You’re back!” Nicole widely smiled as if she truly was happy to see you…though you had your doubts that your arrival back at the lodge was the cause of her happiness. “Good, I actually need your help with something” you could barely get a word out as you were suddenly being pushed away from your own bedroom door and shoved right into Nicole’s room instead. Her room was…goodness was it nothing short of a mess as you peered around at all the dirty and clean clothes, shoes and socks, and even miscellaneous items that just littered her bedroom floor. The bed was unmade and the sheets weren’t probably tucked in causing them to just slip out of place and expose the mattress underneath, the desk of her vanity mirror was cluttered with make-up, nail polish, various beauty products, hair products, and jewelry that wasn’t properly placed inside of the nice jewelry box that’s drawers were sloppily pulled out and had even more jewelry overflowing out of it as if there had been an attempt in the beginning to use it for its intended purpose. Her bedroom walls were the same color as your own with the only difference being that hers was just cluttered with various posters of different things—mainly just posters of young men from bands or shows or movies that she liked.

“Uh…nice place” you didn’t really know what to say, you didn’t know if you should comment on her messy room or leave it be. You weren’t her mother—she was a grown adult, and if this was how she wanted to live, then it wasn’t your place to speak…though you had to wonder exactly how she could live like this. Maybe you were just a neat freak due to having to pick up after both yourself and your parents for so many years, but you couldn't imagine ever letting your room get this messy.

“Hm, though the sentiment is sweet, I know that’s not really what you think” Nicole hummed as she shut her bedroom door behind you both. “In fact, this is what I needed your help with” she said with the clap of her hands as she moved in front of you and gestured all around her messy room.

“You…you need my help cleaning your room?” you tilted your head, not quite following along with what she was asking of you. Honestly, the mess wasn’t extremely bad to the point that she’d need two people cleaning it—she could easily clean this place herself; it’d just take a few hours.

“Exactly” Nicole nodded. “You see, I promised Edge that I’d spend the night with him tonight here in my room and…well, Edge can be a bit of a neat freak and I’d just be so embarrassed if he saw how much I’ve been slacking in my cleaning” she seemed to almost dramatically sigh as she moved further into the room before flopping down onto the chair in front of her vanity mirror. “Normally, I’d ask Blue and Papyrus for help, but I always feel so bad asking them afterward that I promised them this time around I’d do it myself—you’ll help me, won’t you, [Your Name]?” you stared at her as she seemed to just innocently blink her eyes up at you from where she was seated.

“I…I guess” you shrugged after a moment’s silence; you didn’t inherently see anything wrong with her asking for a little help. “I’ll help, but first, answer me this” you said, listening to the way she hummed as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, resting her chin in the palm of her hand as she examined her nails as if she was bored with you now that you’ve accepted to help her. “What exactly…what exactly is your relationship with the guys in this lodge?” you finally decided to ask her the one question that had been nagging at you since your arrival. You had a strong inkling that you knew what was going on after what you had witnessed that first morning after your arrival and as well as all the other things you’ve seen since then when it came to her interactions between her and the other skeletons. From their sweet words to her gentle touches, from their romantic gestures to her loving promises that weren’t always kept…from their praises to her constantly bringing other men home late at night.

Her relationship with them baffled you to the point that you now had to know what exactly they were—you had to at least know where everyone in this house stood with each other. You had thought at first they were in an open relationship, but the more you watched them, the more that felt wrong as you had then thought that maybe she just had random flings going on with all of them and nothing serious was really happening…that they all were just trying to have a little fun as some young people tended to do, but that also proved to be wrong the longer you watched them.

“Oh? Have you never heard of a polyamorous relationship?” her tone was blunt yet her lips seemed to just tug up into a cocky grin as if she was attempting to show off the fact that she was dating multiple men at the same time.

“That’s what I thought…” you muttered, that was the inkling you had for a while now as it was the only other solution you could come up with…but, that still didn’t explain some of the things you’d sometimes hear and see. “What about Mutt?” you asked, recalling the brief conversation you and him had on the porch about her.

“What about Mutt?” that grin of hers almost seem to fall the moment your reminded her of Mutt—reminded her of the one skeleton inside the lodge that didn’t seem all that interested in her. “He’s just a little shy is all, not yet ready to join in on all the fun with the rest of us—he’ll come around sooner or later, I’m sure of it” you weren’t so sure about that and you had an inkling that she knew that what she had said was nothing more than a fantasy of hers. It was clear in the way he acted towards her and the way he spoke to and about her that he didn’t like her, hell, he had even said so himself to you on the porch when you two were talking. But, you said nothing to her about this and instead only nodded your head before looking away from her to get another good look at the mess you were about to start cleaning.

“Well, let’s get started then” you said, already getting started in picking up the clothes scattered about the room as Nicole made no attempts to get up from her seat. Instead, she only leaned even further back in her chair and watched you with honey brown eyes that shined in amusement and lips that tugged back up into a small grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not so sure about the ending of the chapter, but pretty pleased with the rest of it. Kind of struggled a bit near the end after the conversation between Mutt and the Reader. Still, hope you all enjoy it.


End file.
